Remember how much fun you used to have as a kid, cutting and pasting colored paper to make people, animalsjust about anything you could imagine? Well, with these two whimsical paper-pieced embellishments, you get the chance to be a kid againbut with some pretty grown-up results!

We think this darling duck and whimsical dragonfly are perfect for scrapbook pagesand they make wonderful focal points on cards, too!

First, though, some tips on paper piecing:

Choose your paper piecing pattern, then decide on the papers you want to use. Dont feel limited to solid paperspatterned papers lend dimension to the embellishment, and allow you to custom-create something that matches perfectly with your page.

Trace your pattern. Lay a piece of tracing paper over the pattern and use a pencil to draw over the black outlines.

Transfer your pattern to paper using transfer paper. Place the tracing on the patterned paper; slip transfer paper underneath and draw over the lines with a pencil or stylus.

Cut out the pattern pieces. You might want to cut some pieces with patterned scissorsa teddy bear cut with deckle scissors has a fuzzy look, for example.

To make the embellishment stand out, simply mat it. You can mat some or all of the pieces separately onto solid mats, or you can assemble all the pieces onto one solid paper and trim around it.

Assemble the pieces to make sure everything fits and adheres, using repositionable glue.

Add penwork, faces, buttons, seams and other details. You might also want to use a fine-tip permanent pen to outline each piece after it's been assembled.

Other Terrific Tips:

Decorated chalks are great for blushing faces, shading snowmen and other details.

Using textured or patterned papers instead of solids adds an extra element to your paper piecing.

For a fun dimensional look, use foam mounting tape to attach some of the pattern pieces.

We embellished each cut piece with black penwork before assembling (that way, if you goof, the piece isnt already glued to another piece!).

When selecting patterned papers, we usually pull papers from a single book to make mixing, matching and color coordinating easier. For example, these patterned papers are from Paper Pizazz Soft Tints. The solid colors are from Paper Pizazz Plain Brights.

And we just have to add: what a great way to use up those bits and pieces of paper we have tucked away!

Of coursevellum is absolutely perfect for winged things, especially dragonflies! And why use plain vellum when you can make the wings from pretty green swirl-patterned vellum?

We made this dragonfly using patterned papers from A Girl's Scrapbook, matting each piece onto a solid black paper before assembling. We chose it because of the delicate light and dark shading. Dont you think its just perfect?

Weve found that (like many scrapbooking techniques) paper piecing is addicting! Are you looking for more paper piecing patterns? How about a book of patterns? How about a book of 201 Paper Piecing Patterns? Its chock-full of patterns, from elegant to festive, Disney to Annie Lang, both large and small designs. Click on the title above to see more.